The sign was only the beginning.

01

Changing a message meant going outside.

The business had an ageing permanent sign with a manual letterboard underneath. Updating a message meant taking plastic letters out and sliding new ones in, whatever the weather. When electrical work and a refresh of the permanent sign were being considered, there was an opportunity to add an electronic message centre: something we could update more often and schedule in advance.

I researched vendors, compared quotations and worked through the purchase with input from local sign specialists. I also redesigned the permanent sign, decided the materials, colour, typography and layout, and prepared the vector artwork for production by the sign vendor.

The installer handled the physical mounting, cabinet connections and initial commissioning. Maintenance and electrical trades handled the power supply, permits and inspection. The sign's wireless link was supplied with the equipment. My work continued on the computer and network side: troubleshooting the connection, checking playback and getting content onto the display.

02

The display still needed a workable routine.

The original software could schedule content, but preparing and managing it was awkward. Media needed conversion and placement in the right directories, and much of the work depended on remotely accessing the controller computer. I produced content in external design and animation tools and kept that arrangement going for several years.

Then the controller PC failed, and the original manufacturer was no longer a viable support route. I sourced a replacement computer and selected Xibo so we could keep using the physical display with a different control system.

I set up the Xibo content-management system in Docker, configured the player on the display computer and built the layouts, schedules and remote-management setup. That also gave me a place to bring in feeds alongside the content I produced.

03

A passing glance is a design constraint.

The sign has a low resolution and an unusual shape. Its audience is some distance away and moving past it, with little time to read. Font size, contrast, colour and the amount of information all matter. Animation timing and message duration are part of the layout decision too.

I created the permanent artwork as well as the changing content: hours, seasonal messages, events, sales and product promotions. That included motion graphics in After Effects, image and vector work in Photoshop and Illustrator, and video preparation. Later, Canva and Xibo layouts became part of that workflow too.

I built reusable templates and layouts with multiple regions, set start and end dates, arranged seasonal playlists and controlled which messages took priority. I schedule some content about a year ahead, while continuing to make and update material as the business needs it.

04

Useful information was already there.

Owning the signage channel also made me interested in the information the business already had. I built integrations that turn retail activity, online-order records and telephone inquiry activity into display messages, alongside weather-driven gardening guidance.

Those feeds are in active use on the roadside sign. The reason for building them was practical and exploratory: there was useful information in existing systems, and I wanted to make some of it available through the displays I managed.

05

Make the next replacement possible.

I also wanted to avoid depending on a proprietary hardware key or one manufacturer’s replacement controller.

The environment can be rebuilt without the original manufacturer: the CMS and integration applications are containerized, the database and media are backed up, and we control the player configuration internally. Replacement player hardware can be provisioned without returning to the original sign manufacturer.

The sign still needs content, scheduling and maintenance. Those remain part of my work after the installation and the software change.